July 16, 2024 — A 350-foot blade partially broke off a turbine in the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project Saturday night. The company and federal officials as of Tuesday are investigating what caused it.
Anthony Seiger, a commercial clammer out of New Bedford, saw the damaged turbine while he was steaming out to his fishing grounds on Sunday. Photos he captured show one of the three turbine blades dangling against the tower and splintered near the base.
“On July 13, a single turbine at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm experienced an isolated blade event,” said a spokesperson for GE Vernova, the project’s turbine manufacturer. “No injuries occurred, and GE Vernova’s Wind Fleet Performance Management team have initiated our investigation protocols into the event in coordination with our customer.”
Vineyard Wind’s operations are shut down until further notice, a federal safety agency said Tuesday.
A notice to mariners from the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday night stated the Coast Guard received a report of three pieces of floating debris “10 meters by 2 meters” in the vicinity of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and that “all marines [sic] are requested to use extreme caution while transiting the area.”
At around 7 p.m., USCG was notified of the turbine damage, according to an agency spokesperson.